Service suspended between STM and GCT

[Railhead]

This has probably been discussed before
But are all Metro-North Engineers qualified to run all equipment on all lines
or are there only certain engineers who can run certain equipment on certain lines
Example running M8s on the Harlem line
can any Harlem line engineer do this
or only a Harlem line engineer who is also qualified
to run M8s on the New Haven line

[CTRailfan]

To the MN crews' credit, MN is less screwed up than the JFK Airtrain. It's bustituted.

[lirr42]

To the MN crews' credit, MN is less screwed up than the JFK Airtrain. It's bustituted.

I don't see how that is possibly relevant. The AirTrain is an autonomous airport people-mover and not a railroad. And I think they're doing programmed trackwork on it anyways, so...

[Tommy Meehan]

Heard someone broke down in "the restricted area" this morning, was it electricity related or just a crap-out?

That report must have raised the blood pressure of senior management. Hopefully it was an equipment problem. I don't see anything about another power problem.

MNR is also limiting trains to 50% power from change over to CP 223, mechanical department is marking the midpoint on the MC of NHL EMUs, is the same being done to Amtrak electrics?

Hope so. Are they regulating MU access to that section, I wonder? So if they get a couple late running MU trains they don't wind up with more trains in it pulling power than the system can handle.

[ACeInTheHole]

Smartest thing to do would be queue em up just outside the 8 mile zone on the outer tracks (to clear the center tracks for the dual modes which arent affected by the restriction), and let em go one at a time from each direction. Have the engineer call when hes in the zone and when hes out (so as to not send a train too early), then the dispatcher sends the next train.

[truck6018]

This has probably been discussed before
But are all Metro-North Engineers qualified to run all equipment on all lines
or are there only certain engineers who can run certain equipment on certain lines
Example running M8s on the Harlem line
can any Harlem line engineer do this
or only a Harlem line engineer who is also qualified
to run M8s on the New Haven line

Both engineers and conductors the conductor of the train have to be specifically qualified on the equipment and line. Any trainmen (assistant conductors) do not have to be qualified on either.

There are plenty of engineers have been qualified on the New Haven Line but are not qualified on M8's because they have not gone through the class. Being they no longer work on the New Haven Line (nor intend to) they have no interest in it.

I go one further, two days ago my engineer and myself were asked if we were qualified on M8's because the trainmaster wanted us to bring a set from North White to GCT. My engineer is qualified but I am not so we couldn't bring the train down. The reason the conductor has to be qualified is it's up to him to know what to do if there are brake problems or pantograph problems. Even though the Harlem is third rail, if the pantographs released on there own, I'd have to know how to lock them down.

[DutchRailnut]

All engineers are qualified on ALL MN equipment, a H&H engineer will run M-2/4/6 and M-8's to Highbridge yd so all were trained.

as for conductors and trouble shooting the systems on M-8 mirror the M-7 except for towing setup which is easier with M-8

[Tommy Meehan]

Smartest thing to do would be queue em up just outside the 8 mile zone...

Obviously the schedule is not set up that way. And as a commuter that doesn't sound like a good idea to me, sorry.

[lirr42]

Smartest thing to do would be queue em up just outside the 8 mile zone on the outer tracks (to clear the center tracks for the dual modes which arent affected by the restriction), and let em go one at a time from each direction. Have the engineer call when hes in the zone and when hes out (so as to not send a train too early), then the dispatcher sends the next train.

That's not how it's working. They are running MU's nonstop through the affected area so why would they need to be run on the outer tracks? And conversely, the push pulls are the only trains stopping within the affected area so why should they be on the center tracks? I'm sure given the limited number of trains the schedule is set up in such a way to allow safe operation through the area at all times (the people at MN do know what they're doing, after all )

[farecard]

I saw that comment here, that a backhoe struck the cable but neither the media, Con Ed or Metro-North has said that. How far down could a backhoe reach? Would the cable be unprotected? Hitting a 137kV cable with a metal object, wouldn't that cause a major electrical arc? This Con Ed photo seems to show the cable is located in a utility conduit pretty far below the surface.

If a backhoe had hit the 137KV line, my money says there would be corpses.

[DutchRailnut]

wrong it only causes oil to leak out and cable to fail.

[ACeInTheHole]

Smartest thing to do would be queue em up just outside the 8 mile zone on the outer tracks (to clear the center tracks for the dual modes which arent affected by the restriction), and let em go one at a time from each direction. Have the engineer call when hes in the zone and when hes out (so as to not send a train too early), then the dispatcher sends the next train.

That's not how it's working. They are running MU's nonstop through the affected area so why would they need to be run on the outer tracks? And conversely, the push pulls are the only trains stopping within the affected area so why should they be on the center tracks? I'm sure given the limited number of trains the schedule is set up in such a way to allow safe operation through the area at all times (the people at MN do know what they're doing, after all )

Right. Forget I even said the center and outer tracks bit. I was thinking normal NEC where the faster trains would go in the center, but I forgot about the station stops. How many stations are in the affected area?

[lirr42]

Counting Harrison, 5.

[Tommy Meehan]

wrong it only causes oil to leak out and cable to fail.

What I don't understand is -- and maybe this is why Senator Schumer said he had the feeling Con Ed was giving people the runaround (link)-- if the cable was damaged by a back hoe why is Con Ed saying the cause of the cable failure is under investigation and may take time to pinpoint?

...a Con Edison spokesman said the utility had yet to diagnose the cause of the electrical failure of a feeder cable...

What could be more cut-and-dried than a back hoe damaging the line?

[ACeInTheHole]

wrong it only causes oil to leak out and cable to fail.

What I don't understand is -- and maybe this is why Senator Schumer said he had the feeling Con Ed was giving people the runaround (link)-- if the cable was damaged by a back hoe why is Con Ed saying the cause of the cable failure is under investigation and may take time to pinpoint?

...a Con Edison spokesman said the utility had yet to diagnose the cause of the electrical failure of a feeder cable...

What could be more cut-and-dried than a back hoe damaging the line?

Well yes, the backhoe hitting the line is pretty cut and dry, they more than likely want to figure out the circumstances behind why it hit the cable.. Driver error, was he given bad instructions.. Was the paperwork off etc. the backhoe hitting the cable was the result of something going very wrong.